Spring 2024 – ED Update
Spring has arrived in the North and with it the excitement of our annual Professional Development Symposium. We’ve been busy planning for a great week of learning while lining up an incredible group of speakers on the theme, “Building a Resilient North: People, Projects and Professions.”
If you have not registered yet, there’s still time until May 10th. You can learn more and register here. I hope to see you there! You can follow along online with the Symposium via the hashtag #NAPEGNorth and by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
These past few months we also ran our Bridge Building Competition, a Kids Coding event, celebrated National Engineering and Geoscience Month along with International Women’s Day, and had a few shuffles in our Board and Committees. Read on to learn more.
Board and Committees Updates
Melanie Williams, P.Eng., formerly the President of NAPEG, has taken on the position of Professional Practice Officer and has thereby resigned from the role of President. We thank Melanie for her contributions during her time as President and are excited about continuing to work together in this new role.
With Melanie resigning from President, Paul Guy, P.Eng., 1st Vice President has assumed the duties of President for the remainder of Melanie’s term. Thank you to Paul for taking on this role.
National Engineering and Geoscience Month + International Women’s Day
We had a lot to celebrate in March this year with both National Engineering and Geoscience Month and International Women’s Day. We were pleased to share a feature on two NAPEG members. Firstly, “Susan R. Eaton, P.Geol., P.Geoph., Rewrites STEM Possibilities for Women in the North” outlining her incredible achievements in her career and the impact she’s having on women in the North.
Secondly, “A Lifelong Northerners’s ‘Second Career’ in Mechanical Engineering” on Glen Sibbeston, P.Eng., featuring his shift from military helicopter pilot into his second career as a mechanical engineer. I encourage you to read these features on two NAPEG members who contribute immensely to northern communities.
Bridge Building Competition and Kids Coding Event
NAPEG’s annual Bridge Building Competition was hosted on March 2, 2024, which saw 30 student teams submit bridge entries from across Northwest Territories and Nunavut to be tested for strength and design.
Student bridges were put under pressure by using the Obliterator 3000, a mounted car jack with a scale apparatus, until the point of failure. Bridges had to weigh less than 600 grams to enter the competition. The highest weight held on a bridge was an astounding 144.90 lbs!
Congratulations to all of the prize winners and thank you to every team who submitted their bridge design to NAPEG’s 2024 Bridge Building Competition.
We also hosted a Kids Coding event on April 6th, which brought together 12 kids of all ages to learn about coding, try 3D printing and older kids got to assemble Skills Canada – Try-A-Trade Kits.
These programs are made possible by the support given to the NAPEGG Education Foundation. If you’d like to consider donating towards this great work, please visit: https://www.napeg.nt.ca/about-us/education-foundation/
Thank you for reading!
Vince McCormick
ED and Registrar, NAPEG